Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	believe_v	faith_n	unbelief_n	3,235	5	10.7449	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41483	The banner of justification displayed: or; a discourse, concerning the deep, and important mystery of the justification of a sinner wherein the severall causes thereof, being both numerous and various, are from the first to the last diligently enquired after, and their severall contributions towards so great and happy a work, clearly distinguished, and assigned to their proper causes (respectively.) and more particularly is shewed, how God, how the grace of God, how the decree of God, how the soveraign authority of God; how Christ, how the active obedience [of] Christ, how the passive obedience of Christ, how the resurrection of Christ, how the knowledge of Christ; how the spirit of God, how faith, how repentance, how works, how remission of s[in,] how the word, how the minister of the word, how the P[ope?] himself which is justified, may all truly, though upon severall accounts, and after different manners, be sayed to justifie.	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1659 (1659)	Wing G1150A; ESTC R221574	62,441	91

would have accepted their liberty upon the terms required of them yet had the honour reputation and conscience of such an Act been a reasonable compensation for the money disbursed But 2. Such a demand as this is unproper to the case in hand For it cannot be truly sayd that God fore-knew or foresaw that the greater part of men would reject his Grace in Christ and so perish this notwithstanding before this Grace was given unto them at least in his unchangable counsell purpose and decree For his Decree of sending or giving Christ for the tansome of the world was from before the world began I mean from eternity and consequently there could nothing precede or be before it especially in order of time it being a Rule of unquestionable truth that In aeternis non est prius aut posterius But 2. To the first Objection or Demand I answer further That Gods purpose o● design in the death of Christ was not simply or absolutely either to justifie or save men by it neither did he judge it agreeable to his wisdome and righteousness so to do but to do both the one and the other conditionally and upon terms such as he judged meet to prescribe and impose upon them for the obtaining of these great priviledges and blessings by it So God loved the World sayth our Saviour himself that he gave his only begotten Son not that all men or that any man simply and without any more ado but that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 16. Now the Collation Application or actuall bestowing of the fruits or benefits of the death of Christ not depending so much upon the intrinsecall worth value or satisfactoriness thereof as upon the will and pleasure of him who voluntarily gave him to dye for the justification and salvation of men and consequently had a right of liberty to make the terms for the collation of these benefits what he pleased he cannot with any colour of reason be deemed unjust in case he denies them unto those who refuse or neglect to perform his terms notwithstanding they were by Christ purchased for them that is with a full and clear intent on his part that they should have possessed and enjoyed them upon their believing So that 3 And lastly for this When God constraineth those who belive not to pay their own Debts and to make satisfaction themselves for their sins by being eternally punished he cannot be sayd to require or take a double satisfaction or two satisfactions for one and the same debt although it be true in a sense viz. that lately declared That Christ satisfied for them For that satisfaction which Christ made for the sins of any person who believes not I mean who dies in unbelief was never received or accepted by God in the nature of an appropriate particular or actuall satisfaction for their sins but only as a potentiall satisfaction that is as a thing of compleat worth and value enough to have made a particular and actuall satisfaction even for such a mans sins as ●ell as for the sins of those who believe and which he as fully intended to accept for such a satisfaction on his behalf in case he had believed which he might have done as he did to accept it upon such terms for them or for their sins who do believe If it be objected But if Christ made satisfaction for the sins of him who never believeth and God accepteth it not as a satisfaction for their sins doth not God dis-approve or dis-allow either Christs doings or his intentions or both For if Christ in or by his death made or intended to make satisfaction for the sins of Unbelievers and God refuseth to accept this satisfaction or that which Christ intended for a satisfaction for their sins doth he not reject that which Christ desired and intended that he should accept To this I answer That an Answer in effect hath been already given For in such a consideration or sense as Christ either desired or intended that his death should be a satisfaction for the sins of Unbelievers dying in unbelief doth God the Father accept of it Christ neither desired nor intended to make satisfaction by his death for the sins of Unbelievers any otherwise nor upon any other terms then that God the Father should upon the account thereof justifie such persons from their sins in case they should have believed and in this sense he doth accept it as a satisfaction for them being for the sake thereof most ready and willing to pardon all the sins and so to justifie the persons of all men without exception as well theirs who never will believe in case they should believe as theirs who shall believe and be actually justified thereupon So that God in causing or compelling Unbelievers to suffer or to satisfie for their sins doth not require or exact a second satisfaction for them after a former received but only puts them upon payment of their debt themselves who despised his Grace in providing for them that which was indeed intended for the actuall and reall satisfaction hereof upon condition of their believing but was never upon these terms accepted by him by reason of their non-performance of the sayd Condition of believing 6. What tho active Obedience of Christ contributeth Sect. 6 towards the justification of sinners hath been in part declared already Under the Mosaicall Law the Beast that was to be offered in Sacrifice to make any of those Leviticall Expiations was to be perfect and without blemish it was neither to be blind nor broken nor maimed nor having a Wen nor seurvy nor scabbed not having any thing superfluous nor any thing lacking in his parts c. If it had any of these or the like imperfections in it it was not accepted See Lev. 22. 21 22 23. Now that which the soundness perfection and freedom from blemish in the Legal Sacrifices contributed towards their acceptation and consequently towards the efficacy of their respective Attonements or expiations the same or the like in proportion doth the active Obedience of Christ contribute towards the acceptation of his Sacrifice of himself in order to the efficaciousness hereof forthe justification of sinners This similitude or proportion is plainly taught and asserted by the Apostle Peter where he sayth Forasmuch as yee know yee were not redeemed with corruptible things as with Silver and Gold from the vain conversation received by tradition from your Fathers but with the pretious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot i. As well without any Naturall Originall deficiency or imperfection signified in the word blemish as without any adventitious or actuall defilement intimated in the word spot 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. So John Baptist looketh towards the same Analogy saying unto the people concerning him Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world Joh. 1. 29. The Lamb of God i. A Person

Meaning that they could have no reasonable ground to believe that they were discharged or acquitted by God from the Debt or guilt of their sins by means of the death of Christ if he should be detained in the Prison of Death the Grave until now and not have been raised again and set at liberty So then the rising again or rather the raising again of Christ from the dead by God the Father justifieth believing sinners as it were argumentatively and as exhibiting a rationall ground unto them whereon to build their Faith of a full and perfect Attonement made by Christ in his death for them or for their sins by which Faith according unto and by vertue of that Promise made or the Law enacted by God in that behalf they come to be justified Sect. 9 9. The Prophet Isaiah bringeth in God the Father speaking thus of his Son Christ By his knowledge shall my righteous Servant justifie many for he shall bear their Iniquities Isa. 53. 11. That the Particle or Pronoun His is here to be taken objectively not subjectively a construction frequent in Scripture is I presume the award of every mans Understanding So that by his knowledge the knowledge of Christ is meant the knowledge of himself which he shall propagate in the World by the Ministry of the Gospel and by means of this knowledge of him many shall be justified according to that of the Apostle We who are Jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles knowing that a man is not justified by the Works of the Law but by the Faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the Faith of Christ i. By Christ believed on as he explains himself in the verse next following But if whilst we seek to be justified by Christ c. Whence by the way it may be observed that to be justified by Christ and by Faith or believing in Christ is of one and the same import So then the knowledge of Christ is or may be sayd to justifie men in somewhat a remote sense viz. As it is a ground of encouragement unto them to believe on him by which believing they are immediatly justified 10. Men are sayd in Scripture as well to be Justified as Sect. 10 Sanctified by the Spirit of God and this as Justification is distinguished from Sanctification But yee are washed but yee are sanctified but yee are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6. 11. Some Exposito●s indeed understand the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} yee were justified not of Justification properly so called or which standeth in remission of sins but of such a justification which consisteth in a progress or proficiency in Righteousness or in the profession and practice of Christianity For the justification of which Exposition they plead the exigency of the order or gradation in the Text it self as also the like use or signification of the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in that of Apocal. 22. 11. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Let him that is righteous or just be justified still i. As the Expositers we speak of interpret Let him encrease and make forward in wayes of righteousness It must be acknowledged that to grow in grace and proceed in holiness and righteousness from day to day may be called a mans justification in a declarative or arguitive sense viz. As they argue or declare a man to be a justified pe●son and his Faith to be of the right kind a living and growing Faith yea they may be termed a mans justification as they are just matter of his app●obation and commendation which in many cases are used in a sense parallel to that of the word Justification as 't is used sometimes But the Justification which is the S●bject of our present Discourse doth not consist in any Action one or more nor in any Quality one or more but rather in a state or condition viz. Such whereinto a person is translated or brought by the pardon of his sins or sentence of absolution awarded by God Nor need we take the word Justification in the Scripture lately cited 1 Cor. 6. 11. in any other sense but this For Justification in this sense may be asc●ibed to the Holy Ghost as he hath a speciall and appropriate hand in raising the work of Faith by which men are thus justified in the hearts of those who do believe in which respect Faith is registred by the Apostle Paul amongst the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. and by his Fellow Apostle Peter they who believe are sayd to obey the truth speaking of the obediency of Faith to the Gospel through the Spirit 1 Pet. 1. 22. and Act. 18. 27. The Christians in Ach●ia are sayd to have believed through grace i Through the grace of God in his vouchsafement of his Spirit unto them by whom they were enabled to believe yea and actually believed Now then according to the known Maxime or Principle in reason Quod est causa causae est causa causati That which is the Cause of any Cause producing an Effect is the cause of the Effect it self as well as of the Cause producing it Faith being the cause or means of Justification and the Spirit the cause of Faith Justification may as truly and not much less properly be attributed unto the Spirit as unto Faith Sect. 11 11. That Faith justifieth is the constant assertion of the Scripture and the Architectonicall Doctrine of the Gospel Therefore being justified by Faith we have peace with God Rom. 5. 1. Again Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by Faith without the Works of the Law Rom. 3. 28. Yet once more to spare Citations in a case so generally known We who are Jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles Knowing that a man is not justified by the Works of the Law but by the Faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the Faith of Christ and not by the Works of the Law c. Gal. 2. 15 16. By the way upon occasion of these with many the like passages in the New Testament wherein Justification by Faith is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} expresly affirmed I cannot but mention my dislike of their strein in teaching who lay down and deliver it to the people for a Doctrine positively and plainly that men are not justified by Faith or by believing Doubtless it is not convenient or comely positively to deliver or assert that for a Doctrine of Truth which is so diametrally opposite to the frequent cleer and express words of the Scripture If there be a limited sence to be put upon such passages wherein a Truth is commonly and from place to place held forth in the Scriptures this may conveniently and timously enough be done in the Explication or Opening

of the Doctrine But I judge it very incongruous for any Minister of the Gospel to set up a Doctrine as it were in defiance of or in Contest against any thing so frequently and so directly in terminis affirmed in the Scriptures as Justification by Faith And doubtlesse men need not be at all tender or afraid to deliver this positively for a Doctrine of Evangelical Truth that men are justified by Faith yea or by Faith alone if they do but declare or signifie withall 1. What the Scripture means by that Justification which it ascribeth unto Faith 2 What it means by that Faith unto which it ascribeth Justification For 1. that Justification which the Scripture attributeth unto Faith is precisely that which consisteth in Remission of sins as the Apostle plainly teacheth Rom. 3. 25. but more largely Rom. 4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. to omit other places Now certain it is that no kinde of works whatsoever enjoyned in the Moral Law have any thing at all little or much to doe about Remission of Sins or in the procurement or obtaining of it For in case a man should transgresse the Law or sin only once and this in the lightest manner and should for ten thousand years together afterwards with all possible exactnesse observe and keep this Law yet this long Tract or Series of Obedience or good Works would not make his Attonement for that Sin nor bring him off from the Guilt of it with Peace and Safety The reason is signified by the Apostle Heb. 9. 22. Without shedding of Bloud there is no Remission The Wisdome and Righteousnesse of God did not judge it reasonable or meet that the payment of one Debt by the Creature though amounting to never so great a Summe should satisfie for the Non-payment of another Now the most exact Obedience that can be performed or yielded unto the Law of God by any Creature whilest it hath any being is but a debt due from this Creature unto God Therefore no Obedience in this kinde can satisfie for or attone either in whole or in part the least Disobedience or Transgression So that Justification from sin as the Scripture phrase is Act. 13. 39. i. which standeth in Remision of sins cannot be purchased or procured but by the Death or Blood-shed of him that should undertake the Redemption of Sinners Only God was pleased to decree or make this for a Law which the Apostle calleth the Law of Faith Rom 3. 27. that Faith or believing in him through Christ should interess men in the benefit or blessing of the Death and Bloud-shed of Christ i. in that Remission of Sins which was purchased by his Death And in this consideration Faith justifieth viz. by vertue of the Soveraign Authority of that most Gracious Decree or Law of God wherein he hath said or decreed that it shall intitle men unto or in-right them in part and fellowship of that benefit of the Death of Christ which consisteth in Forgivenesse of Sins or which comes much to the same as it is a Qualification or condition ordained covenanted or appointed by God to bring upon those in whom it shall be found the great Blessing of that Pardon of Sin which Christ hath obtained for Men by his Blood And because God hath not passed any such Decree nor made any such Law concerning good works as viz. that these shall bring men into Communion of the benefit of Remission of Sins purchased by the Death of Christ therefore they have nothing to doe to justifie men in this notion or sense of the word Justification If by Justification we mean approbation commendation acquitting from blame or the like in which sense also the word is frequently used in the Scriptures * Good Works are proper and necess ry thus to justifie us both in the sight of God and Men only with this Explication or Proviso viz. that men live to meet with Opportunities for the doing of such works after their true believing For otherwise if the case should so happen that a true Believer should be taken away by Death the next moment to that in which he first believed it is not to be thought but that he should die not simply with his sins pardoned but under the approbation of God also Therefore Good Works in actu exercito as the Schoolmen speak or actually performed are not absolutely universally or in every case that may possibly happen necessary no not to that Justification it self which simpathizeth as hath been said in import with Approbation Commendation Vindication from blame imputed or the like It is true in actu signato or as they are Radically Seminally or Vertually included in that Faith which justifieth by Remission of sins of which more presently so they are universally and in all cases possible if we speak of persons capable by Years and Discretion of Believing necessary thereunto And God who accepteth the Will for the Deed when men want opportunity or means for Action looketh upon those good Works which are conceived in the Womb of a true and unfeigned Faith as actually performed and done when such a Faith wants means time or opportunity to bring forth In this notion our Saviour himself must be understood to speak at least in reference unto many of those to whom he speaketh if he be conceived to speak unto all standing on his right hand which I judge to be the more rational to suppose Mat. 25. 34 35 36. Come ye Blessed of my Father For I was an hungred and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a Stranger and ye took me in Naked and ye cloathed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in Prison and ye came unto me Doubtlesse some yea a considerable party of those to whom the Lord Christ will expresse himself thus in that Great Day will be such who had been poor in the dayes of their Flesh and afflicted and stood in need of being relieved by their Christian Brethren better accommodated in the World then they and in whose relief Christ will acknowledge himself relieved v. 40. Therefore such as these had not been in a condition or capacity to minister actually unto the wants and necessities of other poor Christians in those respective Supplies and Accommodations here specified and yet we finde according to our late supposition that Christ gives the same testimony unto them for these services of Charity which he gives unto those that had actually performed them His meaning then must be that even these poor distressed Saints who had not wherewith either to cloath the naked or to give entertainment unto Strangers actually yet had both one and other the same works and services of Christian commiseration and charity here mentioned in the Bowels of the same kinde of Faith out of which they actually proceeded from their better World-provided Brethren and were performed by them But this occasionally here and by the way for the better Explication

{non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} very often signifieth ot to make perfect i. Compleatly to qualifie the Captain of their salvation Christ that was to procure their deliverance from death by making Attonement for them through sufferings proportionable to so great ●n Atchievement and consequently to put him into a capacity of suffering by investing him with the humane Nature as is plainly layd down v. 14. the Apostle I say having asserted this he gives this account of it in the words following For both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one meaning that the one and the other are both of one and the same Original or Descent as viz. From God by the Line of Adam and likewise of one and the same nature or blood as Act. 17. 26. And hath made of one blood all Nations of men And withall that it was meet that thus it should be for conformity sake unto the Leviticall Type where the high Priest and those that were Legally purified or sanctified by him were both of one and the same nature and likewise descended from one and the same Progenitors 2. It was very agreeable both to the goodness and wisdome of God that he who by his appointment and at his instance should serve Adam and his posterity in so arduous and difficult an undertaking as by his own death to re-instate them in a condition of life and peace should be satisfied with and enjoy this sore travail of his Soul and not sink or be wholly crushed under it and consequently that he should not only suffer death but overcome death or which is the same be raised again from the dead that so he might be capable of that great recompence of Reward which so transcendent a Service both unto God and men well deserved Upon this account also the Lord Jesus Christ was the only person either in actuall being or in possibility of being that was accomplished or meetly qualified for that great undertaking of raising up the Tabernacle of Adam which was fallen and of saving that which was lost For were it granted or supposed which yet I cannot encourage any man to suppose that some Creature might have been found or else made so holy harmless undefiled and separate from sinners the shedding of whose blood or whose death for Adam and his posterity might have been so considerable in the sight of God as that he could have judg'd it competently salvant of the glory of his wisdome and of the awfulness and dread of his Soveraignty to have remitted the transgression of Adam and his upon the account thereof yet is it no wayes probable that the considerableness or worth of this Sacrifice would or could have ab●unded so high above the purchase or procurement of the redemption of Adam and his posterity as to in-title or to in-right him that should have offered it to a glorious Resurrection also such as was meet for him that had been the Author of salvation to a lost World And if the Glory wherein Christ appeared upon Tabor was so exceeding great that it only became the only begotten Son of God being a Garment too above measure rich for any person to wear but the only Son of the King of Kings to which sense many of the Expositors carry that of the Evangelist Joh. 1. 14 much more would such a transcendency in Glory wherewith God hath judged it meet to invest and dignifie him that is now the Saviour of the World As the making him higher then the Heavens placing him at his own right hand giving him a Name above every Name that is named c. have been vastly disproportionable to the Line of any meer created Being whatsoever And yet the Apostle plainly declareth that such an high Priest became us i. Was necessary for us to have in respect of those high and vast Concernments which were to pass through his hands and to be transacted by him who amongst other glorious Prerogatives should be made higher then the Heavens Heb. 7. 26. In these Considerations and haply in some others like unto them the contributions of the passive Obedience and Sufferings of Christ were soveraignly necessary to render the high transaction or dispensation of God the justification of sinners worthy of him and of a regular and cleer consistence with his Glory As for the Tenent of those who resolve this great Act or Dispensation of God we speak of I mean Justification partly into the Soveraignty of his Greatness or Authority and partly into the abundance of his Grace and Goodness and liberty of his Will and partly into the Obedience and regular Conversation of men themselves excluding the death of Christ from any part or fellowship therein at least by way of Attonement or satisfaction for sin I conceive it to be broadly inconsistent with the tenor and purport of the Scriptures in places and passages without number 8. The Resurrection or raising of Christ from the dead Sect. 8 in conjunction with his Glorification which followed upon it advanceth the business of Justification by the assurance given hereby from God unto the Souls and Consciences of men that he is well a paid and fully satisfied concerning that great Debt of the sin of the World the discharge whereof was undertaken by Christ in his death hereby encouraging men who had incur'd his displeasure by sinning to believe in him accordingly for their justification This is the express Doctrine of the Apostle Peter Who verily was fore-ordained speaking of Christ before the foundation of the World but was manifested in these last times for you who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him Glory that your Faith and hope might be in God and consequently that you might be found or put into a state of justification without which Faith and hope in God were little available 1 Pet. 1. 20. And in this consideration doubtless it was that the Apostle Paul affirmed Christ to be raised again for our justification Who was sayth he speaking of Christ delivered viz. unto death for our sins and was raised again for our justification Rom 4. 25. meaning that he was raised again from the dead including in his Resurrection by a kind of Synecdoche the great Glory and Dignity given him by God upon it that hereby a rationall way might be made for sinners to believe in him or in God for the Gospel indifferently useth the one expression and the other to the same effect in order to their justification Whilst the Surety o● he that hath undertaken the payment of a Debt is kept in Prison there is no likelyhood that the debt is payd or the Creditor satisfied And upon this ground the Apostle Paul reasoneth first thus But if Christ be not risen then is our Preaching vain and your Faith is also vain 1 Cor. 15. 14. And again vers. 17. And if Christ be not raised your Faith is vain yee are yet in your sins

when he was a Child That the one hath Justification or Remission of sins annexed unto it by promise from God and the other not doth no more prove them to differ specie no nor yet individuo then Pauls proving in time a great and faithfull Apostle and chosen Vessel unto God proveth him to have been either of another species or another individuum when he was a fierce Persecutor and as himself acknowledgeth of sinners the chief But this Circle of Discourse is I confesse somewhat Eccentrical to our businesse in hand which is not to distinguish Repentance as preceding and as accompanying Faith but to inquire out and declare as God shall inable and direct what or how Repentance as included in or accompanying Faith operateth towards Justification or Remission of sins That which I conceive is this God not judging it meet to invest a person who yet retains the love and liking of sinfull and wicked wayes with so great and sacred a priviledge and Grace as Forgiveness of sins was pleased to establish it for a Law that no Man or Woman remaining impenitent and without unfeigned remorse of Soul for their sins past should ever be admitted into part and fellowship of that unspeakable Grace of his in Jesus Christ which consists in pardon or Remission of sins Again being highly pleased with that most regular generous and worthy deportment of Soul in whomsoever it should be found which consists in a genuine and real hatred and abhorrency of all unrighteousnesse and of whatsoever is sinfull or unclean enacted another Law in honour of this Heroick Act and Deportment viz. that whosoever should with his whole heart and soul repent of all his sinfull miscarriages and misdoings and stand resolved in heart for wayes of purity and uprightnesse for the future should be translated by him into that blessed state which standeth in Remission of all sin So that Repentance seems to operate two wayes towards Justification or Remission of sins First in the nature or after the manner of that kinde of cause which Logicians call Removens prohibens i. e. which contributeth towards an effect by removing that out of the way which being not removed would have hindered it Thus the taking away of the Dignity place and power of the Roman Emperors was the cause of the discovery or rising up of the Anti-Christian Race and their power 2 Thess. 2 7 8. So Repentance by removing that wretched and wicked habit or frame of soul which being un-removed would have obstructed the Grace and Blessing of pardon of sin contributeth towards the obtaining of it Secondly as Repentance includes in the nature and constituting Principles of it a disposition or frame of heart so highly pleasing unto God that he judgeth it no wayes unworthy of him to honour and reward it with so great a reward as Remission of sins so it may be conceived to contribute or operate towards Remission of sins or Justification tanquam causa dispositiva i. e. as regularly qualifying the subject for the reception of the form to be brought into it By this I suppose the interest of Repentance or that which it acteth towards in or about Justification may be clearly distinguished from the Interest of Faith and that which it acteth in reference to the same end When God in Scripture is said to justifie the ungodly the meaning is not that he justifies ungodly persons whilest they are or remain ungodly but he is said to justifie the ungodly in like form of speech as our Saviour useth Mat. 11. 5. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. That is The blinde see the lame walke the Leapers are cleansed and the deaf hear The meaning clearly enough is not that the Blinde whilest blinde did see or the Lame whilest they remained Lame did walk or that the Lepers whilest their Leprosie was yet upon them were cleansed c. but that such who had been formerly and untill Christ relieved them Blinde Lame Lepers Deaf were by him miraculously restored such as had been Blinde to their Sight such as had been Lame to the usefulnesse of their Limbs for walking c. In like manner God is said to justifie the ungodly when he justifies or makes such persons righteous by the pardon of their sins who had formerly been ungodly prophane c. But he doth not justifie them or make them righteous by the Forgivenesse of their sins whilest they remain ungodly but upon the alteration and change of the sinfull frame of their hearts by believing he conferres this Justification upon them viz. the Forgivenesse of their sins And the reason why God doth not judge it meet to justifie men or forgive them their sins whilest they remain ungodly unrighteous wicked prophane or the like may be partly to cut off all occasion from his Creature to conceive of him as a friend to sin or to impenitent and obdurate sinners partly also to contrive his Grace and high favour in Justification into an alluring Argument and strong motive to perswade men out of the love and liking of sin and sinfull wayes into the love and practise of Righteousnesse and true Holinesse The Apostle Paul was put to Apologize for his Doctrine of the Grace of God in Forgivenesse of sins because according to it this Grace is promised and given unto sinners though unto such sinners only who repent and bring forth fruits meet for Repentance But if saith he whilest we seek to be justified by Christ we our selves also are found sinners is therefore Christ the Minister of sin i. e. doth Christ by justifying such Sinners as he justifieth viz. such who believe and repent countenance abet or promote sin in the world God forbid Gal. 2. 17. If then inconsiderate and unworthy men conceive that God would be liable to an imputation of favouring or cherishing sin in men in case he should justifie or pardon all Sinners upon their Repentance which now he doth how much more obnoxious would he have been in such mens opinions to this imputation and charge in case he should have indulged this high Priviledge of Justification unto sinners without Repentance Upon this account then it is most probable that God hath not judged it meet to admit or allow any other kinde of Faith to bring men into communion of the Death of Christ for the Forgivenesse of their sins but only that which is accompanyed with an unfeigned Repentance or which purifieth and cleanseth the heart or at least is apt so to doe from the love and liking of all unrighteousnesse and uncleannesse If it be thus then the interposure or interest of Repentance about Justification is by way of Qualification or of rendering the subject the sinner regularly capable of that high and sacred Priviledge And though it doth not perform the office or work of Faith about Justification which is as hath been said to bring men into the fellowship of the Death of Christ where and where only Justification or Remission of

himself or make himself rich yea somewhat more properly then when it is said that the hand of the diligent maketh rich Prov. 10. 4. In like manner when a man doth that upon which or by means wherof he shall certainly be justified this fruit or reward of his Action his justification may without the violation of any Rule either of Grammar or of Rhetorick be ascribed unto him Hence it follows God having by a perpetuall and inviolable Decree setled the great benefit and priviledge of justification upon believing that when soever any person man or woman shall life up his heart hereunto I mean to believe by this Action he may be said to justifie himself not indeed after any such manner or upon any such terms as God is said to justifie men upon their believing as viz. Authoritatively or as having a soveraign right to justifie whom or upon what terms he pleaseth or the like but in such a way or sense only wherein a person may be said to do that which upon his Action is done unto him by another Of this Construction or Dialect there are instances more then a few in the Scriptures It may be here demanded but is it meet or tolerable to say that a man when he believeth imputeth righteousness unto himself or forgiveth himself his sins and yet both these are done unto him by another viz. God upon his believing yea these are as hath in effect been formerly sayd but interpretative expressions of justification it self And therefore it seems that whosoever may in any sense be said to justifie may in the same sense be said to do both the one and the other of these and this in reference to any or all of these persons whom they are sayd to justifie To this I answer 1. That the Expressions put to the Question in this Demand are indeed uncouth and harsh grating upon eares that have any competent tast of Words Nor do I judge them fitting to be applied to or spoken of him that believeth But 2. When a man is said by believing to justifie himself the meaning is not that he absolveth himself from his sins or pronounceth a Sentence of absolution over himself or that he imputeth righteousness unto himself or the like but only that he levieth puts forth or performs such an Act whereby he prevaileth with God according to his gracious Covenant and promise to justifie him and therein to do all these things to him or for him As when a man is said to save himself which as we heard is the Apostles own expression the meaning is not either that by a strong hand or by any physicall power he over-matcheth the Devill and keeps himself out of his Clutches and from being carried or thrust by him into Hell or that he invests himself with the state of blessedness and glory which is signified and meant by Salvation but that he takes such a course as viz. By believing and persevering in it unto the end whereby he shall find favour in the sight of God to do these things for him Now to say a man by believing takes an effectuall and direct course to prevail with God to forgive him his sins to impute righteousness unto him c. are as proper and convenient expressions as to say that he prevails with him to justifie him yet 3. and lasty It may be considered that one and the same thing may admit of severall considerations and different respects and in and under some one of these considerations and respects may admit of some attributions of which it is not so regularly or smoothly capable under another As for instance Salvation or the saving of the Soul is one and the same act yet it may be considered either as it is procurable at the hand of God by men as viz. by Faith and continuance in well-doing or as it is a rescuing or vindication of men by strength of Arm from the power of the Devill or as it is an actuall instating in or putting men into a reall possession of that blessedness and glory which God hath assigned by promise unto his Saints and those that shall be saved Now in either of these two latter considerations it is not ascribable unto men but in the first of the three as we have heard it is In like manner the act of justifying is one and the same act yet it admits of sundry considerations 1. It may be considered either as an act of God imputing righteousness unto men or as an act of his forgiving men all their sins or as an act of Grace and high favour purchased at his hand by Christ for men or lastly As an act attainable from God by men for themselves by performing of such conditions or terms upon and according unto which he hath covenanted and promised the vouchsafement of it The former considerations of the act we speak of are of that nature and import that in respect of none of them it is attributable unto men they all importing such things which are above the Line of men But in the consideration last mentioned it may in very passable and convenient Language be attributed unto men who believe in reference to themselves Nor need it be offensive unto any man to hear it said that men who believe in that sense justifie themselves There are two other Causes of Justification yet remaining not mentioned in the Title Page amongst those that have been insisted on Viz. The Materiall and the Finall of these in few words Concerning the materiall Cause of Justification Sect. 18 they who make it to be either Christ himself or the Righteousness of Christ either active or passive or both express themselves very unproperly and confound two Causes alwaies distinct and contradistinguished Viz. The efficient and the materiall the former being alwaies extrinsecall the latter intrinsecall to the effect or thing caused by them in conjunction with the other two Causes And besides in so notioning the matter or material Cause of Justification they decline the ordinary Rule by which men who love exactness and propriety as well in conceiving as in speaking are wont to walk in both in Cases of like nature and import For whereas no Action as no Accident besides hath any matter or materiall Cause properly so called yet being an effect or somewhat that is caused there must be some Vice-matter or somewhat answering the nature or consideration of such a materiall Cause found in it or relating to it Now that which relateth unto an Action with greatest Affinity unto matter or to a materiall Cause properly so called is Subjectum recipiens or Circa quod as Logicians speak that is the Subject receiving the Action or the Object upon which the Action is acted According to this notion the believing or repentant sinner or which is the same the person justified or to be justified is the materiall Cause of Justification Such a person exhibits or presents as it were unto God matter duly fitted and